The Wanderer
by steampunkqueen2489
Summary: A young woman named Abigail Lawrence comes to Virginia City. What does this mean for the Cartwrights? This is a story that I've rewrittten, modified from the original version I wrote. It's complete for now, but I may someday decide to add to it. Who knows.
1. Chapter 1

-Part 1: Arrival-

The young woman stepped off of the stagecoach and looked around. The city seemed smaller, but rougher than Reno, where she had come from, but then again, she remembered that Virginia City was a small mining town. She was wearing a blue dress, and her blonde, wavy hair was tied in a low ponytail. She was carrying a small bag filled with the majority of her possessions, or at least, those that she was able to take with her. She looked around as she began walking.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you looking for something?"

She heard someone ask her. She looked in the direction of the voice. She saw a man walking up to her. He was tall with black hair and bright blue-grey eyes. He was wearing a red shirt, black vest, blue jeans, and a cowboy hat.

"Oh, not really anything in particular." she said, "Maybe just a hotel."

"You're going to a hotel?" the man asked.

"I just got into town. I don't really have anywhere to stay." she said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce myself." the man said, extending his hand in greeting, "My name is Adam Cartwright."

"Abigail Lawrence." she said, shaking hands with the man, Adam Cartwright.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Lawrence." he said. She was surprised at how polite he was.

"Please, just Abbie." she said, smiling.

"Alright then, Abbie." the man said, smiling, though, only for a moment before his face was serious again, "Did you come to town alone?"

"Yes. Just me." she said.

"Abbie, this town isn't safe for a young woman staying by herself in a hotel." Adam said. Just then, another man walked up to him. This man was slightly older with grey hair.

"Adam, what's going on over..." the older man started to say, but stopped to look at Abbie when he realized Adam wasn't alone. By the way the man talked Adam, she thought that he was obviously someone Adam was familiar with.

"I'm sorry, miss." the older man said, apologizing for the interruption.

"It's alright." Abbie said, smiling politely.

"Abbie, this is my father." Adam said.

"Ben Cartwright." the man, Adam's father, said, extending his hand in greeting.

"Abbie Lawrence." Abbie said, shaking hands with Ben Cartwright.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ben said.

"Pa, Abbie just got into town. She's by herself and doesn't have anywhere to stay. I was thinking about asking her to stay at the Ponderosa for a while. It'd be safer than her staying in town by herself." Adam said to his father. Ben looked at his son, then at Abbie, then back at Adam again.

"You're right, Adam. It would be much safer for the young lady there. I guess it would be alright with me." Ben finally said.

"Abbie, my family owns the Ponderosa ranch outside of town. It would be much safer for you if you stayed there with us rather than staying in a hotel by yourself in this town." Adam said. That's right. Abbie had heard of the Ponderosa ranch and the Cartwrights before. Pretty much everyone that lived in Nevada had. The Cartwrights owned the Ponderosa ranch, a huge piece of land. She had even heard people say, "The Cartwrights own half of Nevada." Of course, that was an exaggeration, usually said by the people who resented the Cartwrights for one reason or another, but even Abbie knew that the Ponderosa was a huge piece of property.

"Are you sure that would be alright? I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience." Abbie said.

"It's fine. You wouldn't be a bother." Ben said.

"Well, alright. Thank you. I'll repay you some day, I promise." Abbie said. The two men smiled.

"You don't have to repay us, Abbie." Adam said. They walked over to where two horses were tied. There was a beige one and a dark brown one, both beautiful horses.

"Wait, I'm not going to... Am I?" she said, looking from Adam to Ben and back again, "I have no idea how to ride a horse." The two men smiled.

"It's alright, Abbie. You can ride with me. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Adam said.

"Alright." Abbie said, "Who knows? It could be fun."

"That's the spirit." Ben said. Adam helped Abbie up onto the back of the brown horse, which obviously belonged to him. Then, he himself got up onto the horse, sitting in front of her.

"Whatever you do, just hold onto me, and you'll be fine, alright?" Adam said. Abbie nodded. Adam's heartbeat sped up, just slightly, as the young woman wrapped her arms around him, even though he knew she was holding on just so she didn't fall.

"Are you alright, Adam?" Ben asked as he got up onto his horse, which was the beige one. He could tell something seemed amiss with his son.

"Yeah, pa. I'm fine." Adam said, trying to calm himself.

They rode out of town, across a lot of land.

"This is all yours? It's amazing. It's so natural, untouched by civilization. I'll bet it's so nice to live in a place like this." Abbie said, looking around as they rode. Ben and Adam smiled.

"It's not always easy. But, I can't imagine living any other way." Adam said. He wasn't sure why, but hearing her compliment the Ponderosa gave him a good feeling.

Finally, they reached a ranch-house, which Abbie assumed belonged to the Cartwrights.

"Is this your house?" she asked.

"Yes, it is." Ben said, smiling at her. Adam got down off of the horse, then helped Abbie down.

"I'll take the horses to the barn. You take Abbie inside and introduce her to everyone." Ben said as he got down off of his horse. Abbie looked at him quizzically.

"My younger brothers." Adam explained as he led her inside, "There's also our cook, Hop Sing." Inside, there were two men playing checkers. One of them was a husky man with bright blue eyes. The other was a thin young man with black wavy hair and dark grey eyes. They both turned their attention to Adam and Abbie when they walked in the door.

"Who's this, Adam?" the husky man asked.

"What, are you, bringing home strange women, now, Adam?" the other, younger-looking man said, smirking. Abbie presumed the two to be Adam's younger brothers that he had mentioned before.

"Where's pa?" the husky man asked.

"He's putting the horses in the barn. He wanted me to come in and introduce you to Abbie. She'll be staying with us for a while. She just got into town and doesn't have anywhere to stay." Adam told them, "I expect you all to make her feel at home here."

"Hello, there, Miss Abbie." the husky man said, smiling politely.

"Hello." she said.

"This is Abbie Lawrence. Abbie, these are my brothers, Hoss and Little Joe." Adam introduced. Hoss was the husky man, and Little Joe was the thin, younger man.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Abbie." Hoss said politely.

"It's good to meet you." Abbie said, smiling politely.

"Hey, Abbie. Nice to meet you." Little Joe said.

"Nice to meet you, too." Abbie said.

"It'll be nice to have such a pretty face around here." Joe said, smiling at her. This caught her off guard, but it was a nice compliment. Adam, however, had a bothered look on his face, though Abbie wasn't sure why.

"Knock it off, Joe." Adam said, grabbing hold of Abbie's arm, gently, though firmly, "Come on, Abbie. I'll show you to one of our guest rooms. You can sleep there."

"Um... Alright." Abbie said as Adam led her away up the stairs. She was slightly confused, finding his change in behavior odd, as it seemed uncharacteristic to the way he had been until just now.

"Jeez, what's his problem?" Little Joe asked as he and Hoss confusedly watched them walk away.

"Yeah, that just ain't like Adam." Hoss said.

Adam led her up the stairs and down a hall to a room.

"This is one of our guest rooms. It's yours for as long as you want to stay here." Adam said. Abbie set her bag on the floor and looked around the room.

"It's beautiful. Thank you again for all you and your family are doing for me, Adam." she said.

"You don't need to thank us, Abbie. We're happy to help you. Don't mind Joe. He gets carried away." Adam said.

"It's alright. No harm done. It was a nice compliment." Abbie said, smiling.

"Oh. Alright." Adam said, looking away for a moment. Abbie couldn't help but get the feeling something was still bothering him.

"Adam." she said, "Are you alright?" Adam looked at her again. Her dark grey eyes were fixed on him.

"No." Adam said, "Well, I'll let you get settled. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Alright." Abbie said, "Thank you again." Adam started to leave the room, but stopped, turning around to look at her.

"Abbie, I want you to know that, uh, what Joe said was true." he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly confused.

"What Joe said, about you being attractive. I want you to know... I think that's true. You are attractive." Adam said. "Oh, that." she said, "Thank you, Adam." She was surprised, but happy. She never expected him to say something like that. She couldn't help but smile. Adam thought that she had a beautiful smile.

"Well, I just didn't want you thinking I didn't think that was true. I just want you to watch yourself around Joe." he said. With that, he left the room. Abbie stood, staring in surprise for a moment before she began unpacking her things.


	2. Chapter 2

-Part 2-

Abbie woke a few days later to a knock on the door.

"Hello." Abbie said through the door.

"I don't mean to bother you, but..."

She recognized the voice right away. It was Adam. She enjoyed the time she had been spending with the Cartwrights, but she especially liked Adam Cartwright.

"You're fine, Adam. You're not bothering me." she said, smiling to herself.

"I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready whenever you want to come down." Adam said.

"Sure. Thank you, Adam." Abbie said. She got dressed and tied her hair in a ponytail. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the others were already sitting at the table.

"Good morning." Abbie said as she sat down at the table.

"Good morning, Abbie." both Adam and Joe said at the same time.

"Good morning." Abbie said.

"'Morning, Miss Abbie." Hoss said politely. "Good morning, Hoss." she said.

"Good morning, Abbie. Have you been sleeping alright here?" Ben said.

"Good morning, Ben. Yes, thank you. It's really amazing here." Abbie said. Hop Sing, the Cartwrights' cook, brought breakfast to the table. Hop Sing was a small, middle-aged Chinese man. He was extremely passionate about his cooking.

"Abbie, after breakfast today, how would you like me to give you some horseback riding lessons?" Adam said.

"Sure. That would be alright." Abbie said, smiling at him.

"Hey, wait a minute, Adam. Why do you get to teach her? Maybe she'd rather have me teach her." Little Joe protested.

"Joe, she already said she wanted me to teach her." Adam said.

"You didn't give her a chance to say no." Joe said.

"It's alright, Joe. Adam can teach me." Abbie said.

"You heard the girl, Joe. If you want something to do, I'm sure there's plenty of extra work I can find for you." Ben said. Little Joe was silent.

After breakfast, Adam took Abbie off to the barn. On the left side wall, there was a stall with a dapple grey horse.

"Abbie, once you learn to ride, this horse is yours." Adam told her.

"What? Mine? Are you saying...?" Abbie said.

"Pa and I talked it over, and we want you to have this horse." Adam said.

"That's just too generous." Abbie said.

"Abbie, we want you to have this horse. It's a gift from our family to you." Adam said.

"That's a really expensive gift." Abbie said.

"Don't worry, Abbie. We can afford it." Adam said, smiling. On the occasion Adam did smile, Abbie thought that he had an amazing smile, the kind that could just light up a room.

"Well... alright. Thank you so much." Abbie said. She walked over to the horse and gently stroked it's head.

"She'll need a name." Adam said, walking over to her.

"Right. She will." Abbie said, then after a moment of thought, "How about Star? Her shiny silver coat reminds me of the stars."

"I think that's a perfect name for her." Adam said. Abbie smiled at him. They saddled up the horse, Star, and led it to an open area. Abbie got up on the horse for the first time. After a few moments, the horse reared back, throwing her off. She closed her eyes, preparing to hit the ground, but she stopped falling, and didn't feel the impact. She opened her eyes, and realized that she was in Adam's arms. He had caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Adam..." she said, "Thank you."

"Well... you know..." he said, stumbling over his words as he slowly, gently, stood her back on her feet. She could have sworn she saw him blush, just a little. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, Adam with his hands still on Abbie's hips, and Abbie still holding onto Adam's shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yes, Adam. I'm fine. It just scared me a little, that's all." she said.

"I'm sorry, Abbie. This was my idea. It was my fault." Adam said.

"Adam," she said, smiling at him, "I told you, I'm okay. I didn't get hurt. It's fine."

"Alright. I'd understand if you wanted to quit for the rest of the day." he said. Abbie shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I want to keep going." she said. Adam looked at her for a moment, considering it.

"Alright." he finally said, "You're a brave woman. Most women would want to call it quits, at least for a while." Abbie smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe." she said, "I just don't like to quit. Some people might call it stubborn."

"Well, it's not always a bad thing, being stubborn." Adam said.

"Most men would disagree." Abbie said.

"Well, I'm not most men." Adam said.

"No, you're not." Abbie said, then, looking away for a moment, "We... we should probably continue the lessons, right?"

"Yeah." Adam said hesitantly. After that, the lessons went well, and Abbie learned fairly quickly.

"How's the horseback riding lessons going?" Ben asked that night at dinner.

"She's doing well. She's a smart woman." Adam said.

"Well, I've got a good teacher." Abbie said. Ben looked at his oldest son, then at Abbie. He had never seen Adam act around a woman quite the way he did with Abbie. Ben could see the way Adam looked at her.

"Yeah, Adam and Abbie are getting to know each other real well, pa. Me and Hoss were walking by, and we saw Adam holding Abbie in his arms." Joe said.

"It wasn't like that." Adam protested, "The horse threw Abbie off, and I caught her."

"You're such a gentlemen, Adam." Joe remarked.

"Joseph." Ben said sternly.

"Sorry, pa." Joe said, though reluctantly.

"Is Abbie around?" Adam asked a few days later after returning from town.

"Yes, I think she's upstairs." Ben said, "Why? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, pa. I just... well, I have something for her." Adam said, holding up a small box.

"Adam, did you buy her something?" Ben said, grinning slightly at his oldest son.

"I just... saw something I thought she'd like, so, I bought it for her." Adam said.

"Well, then, go on upstairs and give it to her." Ben said, laughing slightly. He patted Adam on the shoulder before Adam headed upstairs. He found Abbie in her room.

"Abbie." he said. She turned to look at him when she heard him say her name.

"Hello, Adam." she said, smiling at him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, "You don't like it here?"

"No, that's not it. I love it here. I'm just... thinking. That's all." she said.

"I have something for you." Adam said, holding the box out to her. Her grey eyes widened in surprise.

"For me? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah." he said.

"But, you and your family are already doing so much for me." she said.

"Well, this is from me." Adam said.

"Well, alright." she said, gently taking the box from his hands. She opened the box, and surprised, brought her hand to her mouth. Inside was a beautiful cameo necklace on a thin silver chain.

"Adam," she said, "You shouldn't have..."

"I saw it, and thought you might like it." Adam said.

"You... bought this for me?" she said.

"Yes." Adam said, smiling, "Do you like it?"

"I love it, but... Adam, this had to have been expensive." Abbie said.

"It doesn't matter how much it cost. I bought it and I want you to have it." Adam said.

"Well... alright." Abbie finally said, smiling at him, "Can I try it on?"

"Of course." Adam said, "Here." He removed the necklace from the box, moved behind Abbie, gently brushed her hair away from her neck, and gently fastened the necklace around her neck. She turned around to look at him, and, for a moment, they stood there that way, looking into each other's eyes, until they heard a knock on the doorframe. Ben was standing outside in the hallway. They stepped away from each other and looked at him, Abbie nervously playing with her hair.

"Adam, Abbie, dinner is ready." Ben said.

"Alright, pa. We'll be right down." They walked downstairs to the dining room and sat down at the table. Ben was already sitting at the table. Ben looked at Abbie for a moment before noticing something.

"Abbie, that's a lovely necklace." Ben said.

"Thank you, Ben." Abbie said.

"Did Adam buy that for you?" Ben asked.

"How... how did you...?" Abbie asked, surprised.

"Well," Ben said, smiling a little, Adam told me he bought you something, and that necklace looks very much like the kind of thing Adam would buy for someone." Ben said, "And, besides, this is the first time I've seen that necklace on you."

"Yes, Adam did buy this for me. It's beautiful." Abbie said.

A couple of days later, Abbie was standing on the porch of the ranch-house, admiring the view of the land, when Adam walked up beside her.

"Hello, Adam." she said.

"Hello, Abbie." he said, "Do you want to take a walk with me? I'd like to get to know you better. You've been living here, but none of us really know anything about you."

"Sure. I guess that's fair." she said as they walked side by side, "There's not really much to tell. My life is way less exciting than yours I'm afraid."

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Reno." she answered.

"Do you have any family there?" Adam asked. She looked at him, then turned away, fixing her grey eyes on the ground.

"Abbie. Did I say something wrong?" Adam asked.

"No," she said, looking back at Adam again, "That's just… a bit of a complicated story, I guess. My father is still there, and my little sister, Anna."

"I'm sorry. If I offended you…" he started to say.

"No. It's alright. You and your family have been so good to me. The least I can do is give you some answers." Abbie interjected.

"So, then, why did you leave if your father and sister are still there?" Adam asked.

"There's where the complicated story comes in. My mother died when I was young. She was sick. We were poor, dirt poor. My father didn't have any money." she explained, "He tried, but the jobs he was able to get just didn't pay very much. Just recently, a man who struck it rich in a silver mine wanted to marry me. My father was thrilled about the idea. We would never be poor again. He told me to marry the man, because then I could finally live the life I of luxury I deserve. But, the man… he wasn't a nice man. He treated me like an object, a trophy, not a human being. He acted like he owned me. I tried to tell my father that, but he wouldn't listen. He just couldn't see it. He was blinded by how rich the man was. My father had never been a greedy man, but… I think he always felt bad that he couldn't provide for my sister and me the life he thought we deserved. But, he had become so obsessed with me marrying this man for the wealth that he couldn't see anything else. He told me that if I wouldn't marry the man, then I could just leave, and never come back unless I was willing to marry the man he wanted me to marry. So, I left."

"Abbie, that's terrible. I'm sorry. You shouldn't be treated like anything less than you are." he told her. They had walked so far now that the ranch-house was no longer in view.

"And, what's that?" she asked, cocking her head as she looked at Adam.

"Well, you're… intelligent, strong-willed, beautiful." he said, staring at her.

"You really mean that?" she asked.

"Yes, I mean it." Adam said. He was blushing again, and he averted his gaze, looking to the ground.

"Adam," she said softly, her grey eyes still fixed on him, "If the man my father wanted me to marry was like you, I wouldn't have run away." Adam looked back at her again. He leaned forward and kissed her. When they finally broke the kiss, they stood, looking at each other for a moment.

"Abbie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I just..." Adam said.

"No, it's alright." she said, smiling.

"Good." Adam said, sighing softly in relief.

"You can do it again. I wouldn't mind." she said. He smiled and kissed her again.

"Abbie, you're special and you deserve to be treated that way." Adam said after they broke the kiss.

"Thank you, Adam." she said, smiling. Adam smiled back at her, and they walked back to the ranch-house

As Adam walked by Abbie's room that night, he stopped for a moment to look at her. The door was open and he could see her sleeping in bed, her wavy, blonde hair flowing freely around her face. He smiled as he continued down the hall to his room.


	3. Chapter 3

-Part 3-

It had been about a month since Abbie had been living with the Cartwrights, and one day, when she Adam were walking in town, she felt like she was being watched. She looked around, eventually catching sight of who she though was someone familiar. If it was him, then, it could only mean trouble.

"Abbie, are you alright?" Adam asked. He could tell that something was bothering her.

"It's... I just thought I saw someone. Let's just... go back to the Ponderosa." she said, walking slightly faster. Adam could tell that something clearly had her shaken.

"Abbie, wait." Adam said, following after her. It was then that they heard a voice behind them.

"Abbie."

They turned round to see a man following them. It was the man who was watching her, and he was exactly who she thought he was.

"Tom." she said as the man took a few steps towards her.

"Fancy seeing you here." the man said, then, turning to Adam, "I'm Tom Cooper, the man Abbie was supposed to marry."

"Adam Cartwright." Adam said, looking suspiciously at the man, Tom. Adam had a bad feeling about him.

"Adam Cartwright." Adam introduced, though his tone of voice was not friendly.

"I know who you are, Cartwright. Everybody in Nevada knows who you Cartwrights are." Tom said.

"What are you doing here, Tom?" Abbie said, her tone of voice cold.

"Well, let's just say, I saw opportunity in this town." Tom said.

"You stay away from her. I'm warning you."Adam said. Tom looked at Abbie, then glared at Adam, and walked away laughing. Abbie was silent the whole ride back to the ranch-house, and when they got there, she went straight up to her room.

"What's going on, Adam?" Ben asked at seeing Abbie's odd behavior.

"Yeah, what'd you do to her?" Little Joe said.

"Joseph." Ben scolded.

"We ran into the man Abbie was supposed to marry." Adam said.

"What do you mean, the man she was supposed to marry?" Joe asked.

"Her father wanted her to marry a man who had struck it rich in the mines. But, apparently, he was no prize. She refused to marry him, and her father kicked her out. That's why she went to Virginia City." Adam explained.

"Where was she from before?" Joe asked.

"Reno." Adam answered.

"Where did you two see this man?" Ben asked.

"In Virginia City." Adam answered.

"And seein' this feller upset her that much?" Hoss asked.

"Yeah." Adam said, "Like I said, the man is no prize. We'll just say it wasn't a friendly meeting. I think he's planning on causing trouble."

"Poor thing. She really seems bothered." Hoss said.

"I'm going to go talk to her." Adam said.

"Alright." Ben said. Adam walked up the stairs and down the hall to Abbie's room. She was laying face down on the bed with her face buried in the pillow.

"Abbie." he said as he entered the room. She lifted her head up to look at him.

"Oh, Adam. I didn't hear you come in." she said. She sat up straight on the bed, and Adam sat down beside her.

"I never meant for this to happen, Adam. I never meant to drag you and your family into this. You're the best man I've ever met, and you deserve someone who's not going to drag you into a bad situation." she said.

"Abbie," he said, placing a hand on her cheek, "If you want to leave because it's what you want, as much as it would hurt, I won't stop you, because I want you to be happy. But, damn it, I care about you. And I won't let you leave just because you're worried about me. My whole family is capable of taking care of ourselves. And, I won't let him hurt you."

"Adam." she said, smiling and wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "Thank you so much." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her.

A couple of days later, Adam was riding back from town when he thought he heard a gunshot right behind him. He looked around, and he didn't see anybody, so, he just shrugged it off and kept riding in the direction of the Ponderosa. A moment later, he heard the sound again, and this time, he felt something graze his shoulder. He got down off of his horse, and took cover behind some large rocks. He tried to see where the shooting was coming from, and he could see someone with a gun up on a cliff. A second look told him that it was Tom Cooper. They shot at each other for a few moments until one of Adam's shots hit Tom. Tom fell to the ground, and Adam rode back into town to tell the sheriff.

When Adam finally got back to the ranch-house that evening, Abbie ran over to him.

"Adam," she said, "Where have you been? What happened to you?"

"Abbie..." Adam said, gently touching her shoulder. That was when she noticed his arm.

"Adam, what happened to your arm?" she asked.

"Tom Cooper." Adam said.

"What did he do to you? Did he shoot you?" she asked, her grey eyes widening.

"Abbie," he said, gently touching her face, "It's alright. The bullet only grazed me."

"That's not the point, Adam. He shot you, and it's my fault." Abbie said.

"Abbie. It's not your fault. And, Tom won't bother anybody anymore." Adam said.

"What?" Abbie said.

"Tom is dead. I shot him." Adam said.

"Dead?" she said. Adam nodded.

"Yeah." he said. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

"Adam, I'm glad you're alright." she said.


	4. Chapter 4

-Part 4-

One night, about a month later, the Cartwrights and Abbie were at a dance.

"Abbie, can I talk to you outside for a few minutes?" Adam asked. Abbie looked slightly confused.

"Yes." she said, "Of course. Adam, is everything alright?"

"Yes. Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something." Adam said.

"Alright." Abbie said as she followed him to a secluded area outside of the building. They stopped walking, and Adam took her hands in his.

"Abbie," he said, "I've never met anyone quite like you. To think your father wanted you to marry someone like that Tom Cooper... Abbie, you deserve to be treated like the amazing woman you are." Abbie cocked her head, looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. Adam pulled something from the pocket of his dress coat, and got down on one knee.

"Oh my..." she started to say, unable to finish her sentence.

"Abbie, I'll treat you with the respect you deserve. I'll do everything I can to make you happy. Abigail Lawrence, will you marry me?" Adam said. This was the last thing Abbie expected.

"Oh my God, Adam..." she said, "Yes. Yes, Adam. I would love to marry you." Adam smiled as he put the ring on Abbie's finger. He stood and kissed her.

"Pa, Abbie and I have something we want to tell you." Adam said that night when they got back home. Everyone in the room turned their attention to Adam, waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"Abbie and I are engaged." Adam said.

"You mean...?" Hoss started to ask. Abbie held out her hand, showing them the ring. It was a nice ring, somewhat fancy, but elegant, not gawdy.

"He means they're going to be married." Ben said, shaking his oldest son's hand and patting him on the back.

"Thank you, pa." Adam said, shaking his father's hand.

"Abbie, you're a pleasure to have around, and I'll be happy to have you as a daughter-in-law. I couldn't imagine a better wife for Adam. Welcome to our family, Abbie." Ben said.

"Thank you, Ben. That means a lot. I promise, I'll be good to Adam." she said.

"I know you will, Abbie." Ben said.

"Hey, congratulations, Adam." Little Joe said, patting his oldest brother on the shoulder, "It took you a while to find a girl who would put up with you, but you finally got there."

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Little Joe." Adam said sarcastically, though he had a smile on his face.

"And, Abbie, you had your chance to pick me. Don't say I didn't warn you, but, if you're really set on marrying Adam, congratulations." Joe told Abbie. Abbie just laughed and shook her head. By now, she was used to Little Joe's habit of tormenting his brothers.

"Thanks, Little Joe. I think I'll be alright." she said.

"Congratulations, Adam." Hoss said, hugging his older brother.

"Thanks, Hoss." Adam said.

"Miss Abbie, I think you'll make a mighty fine wife for Adam, and, I'll be mighty happy to have you for a sister-in-law." Hoss said, hugging her.

"Thank you, Hoss. I appreciate it." Abbie said.


	5. Chapter 5

-Part 5-

A couple of days later, Adam and Abbie were sitting in the living room when they heard someone riding up on horseback.

"Do you think that's your father and the others?" Abbie asked, standing and walking towards the door.

"No. It doesn't sound like more than one." Adam said, standing and following close behind Abbie. There was a knock at the door. When they answered the door, Abbie couldn't believe who was there.

"Abbie, it's good to see you." the man at the door said.

"What are you doing here, father?" Abbie asked, her grey eyes wide.

"Your father?" Adam said.

"I heard my little girl was getting married, and I just had to come and see." the man, Abbie's father, said.

"But, father, you said..." Abbie said.

"Never mind what I said. Congratulations, Abbie." her father said, patting her on the shoulder. Then, he looked at Adam.

"And you must be her husband to be." he said, extending his hand to Adam in greeting, "I'm Jim Lawrence, Abbie's father."

"Adam Cartwright. It's, uh... nice to meet you." Adam said, shaking hands with him. He remembered what Abbie had told him about how he had kicked her out of the house. Now, all of a sudden, he shows up out of nowhere wanting to congratulate her on her engagement. Though, he was still her father, and Abbie had said that they had once been close. Maybe he had finally seen the mistake he had made.

"Adam, may I talk to my father for a minute? You go on inside. We'll be in in a minute." Abbie said. Adam was hesitant for a moment, but he went inside as Abbie had asked him to.

"Father, what are you doing here? You threw me out of the house because I wouldn't marry Tom Cooper, the man you wanted me to marry." Abbie said.

"I did. But, if I'd have known you planned to marry a Cartwright, I wouldn't have been mad." Abbie's father, Jim, said.

"Father, I didn't plan to marry Adam. I fell in love with him. And, I'm not marrying Adam because he's a Cartwright, because he's rich. I love Adam. I don't care about money. How could you even think that?" Abbie said, "And, by the way, Tom Cooper is dead." A look of shock came over her father's face.

"Dead?" he asked, "How?"

"He threatened Adam and me. Then, he tried to kill Adam. Adam was forced to defend himself. He shot and killed him." Abbie explained. She began to cry, just a little, and, for the first time, a look of realization came over her father's face.

"Abbie you really do love Adam Cartwright, don't you?" he said, putting a hand gently on his daughter's shoulder, "Abbie, I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted you to marry a man that could give you a better live than I was able to give you and your mother. I just wanted my little girl to be happy. You can marry whoever you want, rich or poor, and I'll be glad for you, as long as they make you happy." Abbie wrapped her arms around her father, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, father. That means so much to me." she said.

"Thank you, Abbie. I realize now that you don't need money to be happy. You never did. I'm really sorry, sweetheart." her father said. Adam, who had been watching them through the window, smiled. Though he couldn't hear what was being said, he could tell that they had settled things.

Abbie's father, Jim, looked to where he had parked his wagon, and gestured with his hand for someone to come over to them. A little girl with brown hair tied in two low pigtails, who was about ten years old, came running over to them.

"Abbie!" she said, running up to Abbie, hugging her.

"Anna. I'm so happy to see you." Abbie said, smiling.

"I missed you, Abbie." Anna said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I never wanted to leave you." Abbie said.

"I know." Anna said.

"Father, Anna, come inside." Abbie said, leading her father and sister inside, where Adam was standing, waiting for them. Anna looked up at him, then at Abbie.

"Abbie, is that your boyfriend?" she asked. Abbie looked away, blushing slightly as she twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

"Yes, Anna. This is Adam." Abbie finally said after a moment of hesitation.

"Boy, he's handsome." Anna said, "You're lucky, Abbie." Abbie laughed, nervously looking to the ground, and Adam laughed slightly.

"Thank you, young lady." he said politely. After taking a moment to regain her composure, Abbie spoke.

"Adam, this is my little sister, Anna." she introduced. Adam shook the little girl's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Anna." he said, smiling politely.

"Thanks. I'm sure glad to meet you. Papa told me Abbie was getting married." Anna said.

"Make yourselves at home." Adam said. Abbie's father, Jim, sat down on the couch, and Anna sat beside him. Adam sat down in a chair, Abbie stood beside him, leaning slightly on the arm of the chair. Just then, they could hear someone riding up. Everyone looked to the window.

"It's probably my pa and brothers." Adam said. A moment later, Ben, Little Joe, and Hoss walked through the door. They looked at Abbie's father and sister.

"Adam, who are our visitors?" Ben asked.

"Pa, this is Abbie's father Jim, and her sister, Anna." Adam said, "Jim, Anna, this is my father, Ben, and my brothers, Joe and Hoss."

Ben, then Hoss and Joe shook hands with Jim, then Anna.

"Do you mind if we borrow Adam for a minute?" Ben asked.

"Of course. Go ahead." Abbie said. Ben, Joe, and Hoss led Adam outside, shutting the door behind them.

"Adam, why would Abbie's father come here?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, I thought you said Abbie's father disowned her." Joe said.

"I was suspicious at first, too, but, I think he's finally realized the mistake he made." Adam said.

"Maybe he's just faking that he feels bad." Joe said.

"I might have thought so, too if I hadn't seen them. They really seem like they settled things." Adam said. Ben smiled.

"Well, that's good." he said, "Everybody deserves a chance to make up for their mistakes." They went back inside. Adam sat back down in the chair he had been in and Little Joe sat in the other chair.

"I'll have Hop Sing put some tea on." Ben said before walking into the kitchen.

"I'd better get outside and feed those horses." Hoss said.

"I love horses." Anna said.

"Well, then, Little Lady, how about you come feed them with me?" Hoss said, "If that's alright with yer pa, of course."

"Papa, can I?" Anna asked, looking at her father.

"It's fine with me, as long as it's not too much trouble for Mr. Cartwright." Jim said.

"It's no trouble t'all, mister." Hoss said.

"Please, just Jim. No need to be so formal. My daughter is going to be part of your family, after all." Jim said.

"Alright, then, Jim." Hoss said.

"Thanks, Mister Hoss." Anna said excitedly as she and Hoss walked out the door. Ben came back in from the kitchen.

"Mr. Lawrence, it's going to be getting dark soon. It might be better if you and Anna stayed the night.

"Mr. Cartwright, I wouldn't want to impose on you and your family. And, please, just Jim. Like I told your sons, there's no need to be so formal. After all, my daughter will be part of your family." Jim said.

"Well, Jim, you wouldn't be imposing at all. It wouldn't be safe for you and your daughter traveling in the dark. I'd feel better if you stayed here tonight." Ben said, "And, Jim, please, just Ben."

"Well, thank you, Ben. I appreciate it. Alright, we'll stay here tonight and head home in the morning." Jim said.

"Good." Ben said, then, looking at Joe, "Joseph, you get out there and help your brother feed those horses. And, put Jim's horses in the barn for the night." Ben said.

"Yes, pa." Joe said, standing and leaving the house.

"I'll go help Hop Sing with dinner." Abbie said, standing and heading to the kitchen. "I'd better get out there and make sure my brothers aren't getting into any trouble." Adam said, standing and walking out the front door. Ben sat down in one of the chairs and sighed.

"Some fine boys you've got there, Ben." Jim said, smiling.

"Thank you. They definitely test my patience at times." Ben said.

"Adam seems like a fine young man. And, Abbie seems very fond of him. I think he'll be a fine husband for her. I realize that now, that Abbie should marry someone of her choosing, someone she loves. I never meant to upset her. I just wanted what's best for her." Jim said.

"I understand. What matters is that you know that now, and that you did something about it." Ben said.

"Thank you, Ben." Jim said.

"Your daughter is a wonderful young woman. Having her around is a pleasure. And, Adam cares for her very much." Ben said.

The next day,

"Goodbye, father." Abbie said, hugging her father goodbye.

"I'll visit again." Jim said, hugging her back. Then, Jim shook hands with Adam.

"Adam." he said, "It was nice meeting you. I think my daughter is in good hands with you. I hope I'll see you again soon."

"Thank you, sir. I'll make her happy, I promise." Adam said.

"You already have. Thank you." Jim said. Then, Jim shook hands with Ben.

"It was good to meet you, Ben. You're a good man." he said.

"Thank you. And, so are you." Ben said.

"Joe, Hoss, it was nice to meet you both." Jim said.

"Same here." Joe said.

"It was good meetin' you, too, Jim." Hoss said.

"Bye, Abbie." Anna said, hugging her older sister.

"Goodbye, Anna. You and father visit again, alright." Abbie said. Anna nodded.

"Mr. Adam, it was nice meeting you." Anna said, looking up at Adam.

"It was nice to meet you, too, Anna." Adam said.

"Mister Hoss, Little Joe, it was really nice to meet you both. Thanks for everything." Anna said, standing in front of Hoss and Little Joe, looking up at them.

"You're mighty welcome, Anna. Any time." Hoss said, smiling gently at her.

"You're welcome. We'll see you around, Anna." Little Joe said, smiling at the little girl. With that, Jim and Anna got into their wagon and headed off.


End file.
